Crowley defeats Hong in nail-biter Wisconsin governor primary: 5 takeaways
The Hill · C · trust 45/100
Comments: by Caroline Vakil and Julia Mueller - 08/12/26 2:19 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Caroline Vakil and Julia Mueller - 08/12/26 2:19 AM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING Milwaukee County executive David Crowley emerged the victor in the hard-fought Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor against democratic socialist state Rep. Francesca Hong early Wednesday – giving the Democratic establishment a much-needed boost in light of recent progressive wins.
Decision Desk HQ projected the race for Crowley, who enjoys Gov. Tony Evers’s (D) endorsement, at around 2:20 am EDT. Crowley was ahead of Hong by over 3,000 votes when the primary was called.
The results are a far cry from the double-digit lead public polling suggested Hong held, underscoring that Democratic voters are even more divided than previously thought over their candidates and the direction of the party.
Most importantly, Crowley’s win offers center-left and more mainstream Democrats their first major win in recent weeks after several of their preferred picks lost in high-profile races like the Michigan Senate Democratic primary. Still, the mixed bag of primary results tonight — and more broadly this cycle — show that questions over the party are nowhere near settled.
Progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defeated more center-left Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) for the Democratic Senate nomination in Minnesota. And over in Connecticut, Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) became the latest lawmaker to lose reelection amid the party’s ongoing debate over generational change.
Meanwhile, the special GOP primary for the six-year term to represent South Carolina in the Senate after the late Sen. Lindsey’s Graham’s (R-S.C.) death in addition to several primaries in Wisconsin and Minnesota showcased a spotty track record of President Trump’s endorsements:
Crowley ultimately pulled off what polling initially thought was the unthinkable – defeating Hong in the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary early Wednesday morning.
Crowley was in first place with close to 40 percent of the vote while Hong sat in second place Wednesday as of 2:30 am EDT, at around 39 percent.
The remaining candidates in the race – state Sen. Kelda Roys and Joel Brennan, a former secretary of the Department of Administration – in addition to three other Democrats who were on the ballot after dropping out of the race late accumulated more than the marginal difference between Crowley and Hong, underscoring how the divided primary votes kept the Democratic contest tight until the end.
The Wisconsin gubernatorial primary and the Minnesota Senate primary, where progressives scored a key victory, offered the latest test for Democrats grappling with the best direction for their party.
They came a week after progressive Abdul El-Sayed defeated moderate Rep. Haley Stevens (D) in Michigan’s Senate race, which added to a string of wins for the party’s left flank even as some in the party raise concerns that such candidates could be a liability in the general election.
But the Wisconsin governor’s race is showing that the fight over the ideological direction of the party may be nowhere near as settled as previously thought, with Crowley’s win serving as a counterweight to progressive victories in recent weeks.
Still, progressives had a good night in the North Star State after Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D) defeated center-left Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) in the Democratic nod for the Minnesota Senate seat left open by retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.).
Flanagan’s win adds to a growing list of victories for progressive and democratic socialist candidates, including El-Sayed’s win in the Michigan Senate Democratic primary and several upsets in Michigan, New York and Colorado House primaries.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Sen. Kirstin Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), chair of the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, lauded Flanagan in a statement, saying that “In the Senate, she will be a powerful advocate for working people.” They also attacked former NFL journalist Michele Tafoya, the GOP Senate nominee, as a “wealthy Republican activist” and highlighted past comments suggesting people make less trips to Starbucks amid high gas prices.
Polling ahead of Tuesday had suggested a tightened race between the two women, with questions heightened around the reliability of polling on the primary after surveys in the Michigan Senate Democratic primary inaccurately projected a double-digit win for El-Sayed.
Two issues that dominated the Democratic contest between Craig and Flanagan included Minnesota’s statewide fraud scandal and immigration. Craig and Republicans have attacked Flanagan over the $250 million social welfare scandal that’s plagued the state given Flanagan is a part of the Walz administration.
Meanwhile, Flanagan attacked Craig for voting in favor of the Laken Riley Act, legislation that allows federal officials to detain certain immigrants accused or convicted of certain crimes like burglary and theft. The issue of immigration was elevated particularly in light of two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)-involved shootings.
Sen. Darline Graham (R) easily advanced to an Aug. 25 runoff to replace her late brother Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) on the November ballot. Yet, it remains to be seen whether President Trump’s endorsement will carry her across the finish line.
Earlier this summer, the president issued a rare double endorsement in the Republican primary to succeed South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R). He initially backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette before also throwing his support behind Attorney General Alan Wilson, who eventually clinched the party’s nod in a June runoff.
Lindsey Graham passed unexpectedly exactly a month before the Tuesday primary to replace him. Darline Graham, who…
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